we don't trust the intelligence service, because it's interwoven with all sorts of enemies of the united states. we would like to think the military at the last minute could grab the nuclear weaponry, hold it, keep it from the hands of the taliban organization, we don't know if they can do that. >> thank you both. hang in with me. one of the chrises, at least. chris matthews, i know you have to head off towards working on "hardball." as we approach the top of the hour here, let's recap, the president of the united states coming into the briefing room and announcing that as of the end of this year all of the u.s. troops will be out of iraq. all except for a handful or a small number protecting u.s. fa si facilities like the u.s. embassy. he said as promised, the iraq war -- america's war in iraq at least is over and the transition

will be made to a new relationship with iraq's government. the reason for this withdrawal, despite secretary pennetta wanting to keep 3,000 or 4,000 troop there's as trainers past the end of this0ñ!cjyear, the rn for not doing that is that iraq's parliament, iraq's government could not agree on granting legal immunity to american forces there. so they will be coming home. the president said they will be home for the holidays. jim miklaszewski is back with us from the pentagon. mik, this is a long history and it is the end of an era. >> absolutely. as chris matthews said earlier, the iraq war was unpopular from the beginning. there were many up on capitol hill and some even in the military at the time questioning really the wisdom of going into iraq while you were trying to fight a war in afghanistan. of course the war in afghanistan went largely ignored as the troop surge and the numbers of troops in iraq really

skyrocketed over the first four ye years. so because of that, you know, american troops are still slogging it out ten years later there in afghanistan. so, in terms of the kinds of trainers that we're going to be left behind that was part of the negotiation between the iraqis and the u.s. government and military quite frankly as to what it is they think they may have needed. but, you know, i never heard anybody within the senior leadership here within the military or pentagon strenuously arguing to keep those trainers inside iraq. they thought, well, it may be necessary to do this orb that or the other, but they didn't think it was absolutely critical to keep american trainers on the ground there in iraq. again, as we talked about earlier, any troops that would be assigned to the embassy would be granted diplomatic immunity. in terms of foreign arms sales,

the iraqis would like to buy f-16s from the united states, that would take u.s. expertise in terms of maintenance and training, but those arrangements could be worked out on a case by case basis. clearly i found no resistance within the u.s. military to withdrawing. quite frankly, those inside iraq said we're getting to the point of no return. if the iraqis do not say they need these troops, we have to be out because once we start withdrawing all this gear, it's too expensive to then return it along with the troops. asth maliki told the president today, there's no way to get the troops left behind immunity, so the president had no choice, those troops have to come out. >> what you just referred to is a secure video conference. they met by video conference

so shortly before the president came into the briefing room. we have general mccaffrey. the military significance of what's taking place. we knew this was going to happen. now i'm hearing from our colleague, from jim there is the possibility of them requesting f-16 sales. is the iraqi air force equipped and ready -- not equipped, but trained up for dealing with f-16s? what would be their purpose? >> i think, you know, eventually iraq will have sovereignty of their own borders. they're surrounded by six nations. they will require some air force a maritime defense capability. they have a huge oil shipment project down in the gulf. so i'm sure our preference would be buy u.s. equipment, u.s. maintenance and training, have

the pilots go to the united states to receive their undergraduate pilot training. we have to remind ourselves, andrea, this is the fourth biggest air force on the face of earth. these are sophisticated people in many ways. they fought a bloody seven-year war against the iranians. so they're capable of managing their own internal and external security. >> of course we wiped out their air force during the nine years, almost nine years of the iraq war. that was the first thing we did was to wipe out the air force. >> was astonishing. that giant air force, a third of it went to iran to seek reference. and the argument was they never flew one defensive or offensive mission. jim miklaszewski said the trainers can be replaced by contractors. i'm sure will you see retired lieutenant colonels and master

sergeants doing the same thing, the loss is the moderating influence of 3,000 or 4,000 majors and lieutenant colonels and some drug brigadier generals in there dealing with the iraqi military that will be a loss come december. i think the president's speech was dignified and right on target. >> and richard engel is joining us now, our chief foreign correspondent. richard, it's almost a head-spinning moment for you, i'm sure, to see gadhafi killed yesterday. today the president announcing what we knew was coming, but just take a step back and share with me your emotions having spent so much of your life on the ground in iraq, seeing so much death and destruction and heartache to come to this juncture. maybe it's an artificial deadline but it has to mean something. >> when the president said the troops will be home for the holidays, i thought to myself

that's a phrase that many presidents have wanted to say and many political leaders have been trying to say and have not had the ability to do it. and that hit home. but what is amazing to -- what concerns me is that iraq is very fragile. it is very week. there are people who think iraq could be heading back to a civil war. there are many car bombings taking place around the country and they are increasing. kurdished ed radical groups in north, the pkk, carried out an intense attack killing targets. so there are tremendous problems in the country. but that said, even if the country does slip back into some sort of sectarian violence and militant groups like the kurds in the north or like kurdish ones in the north decide to become more aggressive, 2,000 or 3,000 american trainers on bases around the country probably wouldn't be able to stop that

any way. if they had no immunity from prosecution, then i can't see any reason why they would be kept in the country. >> richard, if it were to dissolve into civil war again, worst-case scenario, jim miklaszewski was telling us the blunt facts, the president probably told him don't expect us back. it's too expensive. you're either ready or you're not. will he be blamed in. >> the key difference is if you think the ship is sinking, if you leave a few of your soldiers in that ship you take responsibility for it and you put those soldiers in a potentially untenable situation. by them leaving now, it's truly up to the iraqis. they will either sink or swim with their ship. it is a risky move, having american troop also is a tripwire. if iran suddenly decided to get more aggressive in iraq or

turkey got more aggressive and carved out buffer zone in northern iraqi, the turkish troops thus far wouldn't have been able to do that because they know there are american troops in the country and they those american troops are a tripwire even if there are a small number of them. soon that tripwire will truly be gone and iraq will be, for the first time in nearly nine years, a truly sovereign country. >> before i let you go, richard, could i ask you about libya? if you could brick us up to date on what's happening in the aftermath of those extraordinary events, dramatic events that ended yesterday. >> this was a bit of head-snap moment talking about iraq and the end of the iraq war. now libya, gadhafi has had an end of his life almost as bizarre as the life that he had. he was beaten up yesterday by -- by rebels.

he was shot by the rebels, ultimately executed by the rebels. today those rebels have put gadhafi's body in a refrigerated meat locker in a shopping center and are allowing people in in small groups, 10, 15 at a time to view his body which has been put on a bloody mattress. he was pulled out of a drain pipe and now put in a refrigerated container. this is the person who ruled libya for 42 years and lived in palaces. so, it has been a remarkable turn of events, one that sends shockwaves across the middle east. in searya, tyria the protesterst on the streets today saying the syrian president is next. >> obviously the reaction from leaders is to clamp down because they know whether won't be a fire trial or justice for a deposed dictator.

>> they don't want to end up in that refrigerated locker. >> exactly. incredible events. the politics of this, we are in an election year. this president has some banners he ask wave on foreign policy. >> no question two things. number one, foreign policy is not going to be the front and center issue of this election. we know that. that said, i think it is a mistake to dismiss what we've soon starting with osama bin laden in may and ending with iraq. is this someone who can represent united states on the world stage? some republicans will say no. the choice is who can represent our country domestically and abroad? barack obama or who the republicans nominate.

right now it's very hard to deny foreign policy issues, he has firmed that up. one other quick thing, i do think for a democratic base that is, at best, unenthusiastic at the moment about barack obama, this should help. they wanted the war in iraq ended, all troops removed the day after he won his election. obviously the realities on the ground made that impossible. at least the promises made, promises kept. he can go those democratic-based voters and say i said i would end the war, i helped end the war. it may help get those people. >> that helps with independents as well and some republicans. chris cillizza, thank you. >> sure. pakistan, the next big challenge. we will have poly petraeus on the consumer protections against those who are ripping off our veterans.

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as a candidate for president, i pledged to bring the war in iraq to a responsible end. today i can report that as promised, the rest of our troop s in iraq will come home by the end of the year. after nearly nine years, america's war in iraq will be over. we have the columnist from bloomberg view, and former adviser to richard holbrooke in afghanistan. a first of all, let's talk about what the president just announced, the end of america's part of the iraq war. is this the right decision now?

and what are the ramifications for america? >> well, it's a decision that has been long in the coming, and the last 3,000 troops had to be withdrawn because there was no agreement on the immunity issue. the key question is whether iraq's political system can hold together because the iraqis were able to form a parliament and elect a prime minister function to the extent that they did based on the american security presence. and turkey has now crossed the border in a major operation against kurdish rebels. syria may be moving in the direction of greater violence and civil war, and we are seeing an escalation of tensions between iran and saudi arabia, which we saw. all of these things can come into play in iraq and without u.s. troops holding things together. it's an interesting question as to whether the iraqi political system with address them. >> you lived there, you know iraq well, do you think the

maliki government is ready to take over and the factional divisions that we've seen for so long, the prospect of the resumption of civil war that richard engel was talking about, do you think maliki can hold this together? >> if i had to look at outcome of the last political process in iraq, i would say it's not so favorable. on the one hand, you have a government that is in place really that was supposed to be based on a political power-sharing agreement that never materialized. nuri al maliki did not win the majority of seats in the last election, they were supposed to agree on a minister of interior and defense, that still rests in the hands of nuri al maliki. the people of iraq themselves don't have a great deal of confidence in institutions. they see their government as being somewhat corrupt.

so certainly it is a country that's fragile. one that the own people of the country don't have a great deal of confidence in. it's important to make this quick point, which is at the end of the day, the iraqi people -- over the past 21 years from 1990 up until 2011, there has been american military involvement in iraq in one way, shape, or the other. that includes the no-fly zone, the sanctions. the war in 2003. now the president's speech today will be heralding in a new era for the iraqi themselves. that will raise a great deal of concern for many iraqis, but also some optimism. >> and let's turn to pakistan, gentlemen, for just a moment as well. this area, you worked so hard on with richard holbrooke. we have hillary clinton today really reading the riot act with david petraeus, with general democr dempsey, telling the pakistanis they have to deal with that

haqqani threat. is that going to do good? >> we heard the president say he would also like to do in afghanistan what is happening in iraq, namely a serious drawdown of drooptroops and ending that that will not happen without pakistan's cooperation. we went to pakistan showing the need to cooperate on the haqqanis. the reason why the secretary of state has had the long meetings with the pakistanis last night and this morning is because there's a serious discussion for the first time, after several months of not talking to the pakistanis at all, about how should the two countries move forward? in other words, the united states wants the haqqanis along with other taliban leaders to come to the table. they want to see how pakistan can help. they also want pakistan to confront those elements of the taliban that are technically irreconcilable.

there are some differences in pakistani views on thousand do this and how the americans wanted to see this done. the reason why the talks have taken so long is because there's some fruitful discussion happening beyond reading the riot act, seeing if pakistan wanted to cooperate, how best to do that. >> what has come out of the talks -- this is the first revelation that i know of, that the united states did meet with the haqqani network last summer, but that was before their brutal and brazen attack on u.s. embassy and nato headquarters in kabul. >> that's true. when admiral mullen spoke before the senate and accused pakistan of being in cahoots with the haqqanis on the attack in the embassy, the general in a comment said we are not the only ones talking to the haqqanis. basically letting it be known that the united states was complaining about the haqqanis but was also talking to them and that pakistan had been more cooperative than admiral mullen

had suggested because the pakistanis facilitated the haqqanis coming to the table. it has not been a completely negative picture. there are elements in which pakistan and the u.s. have been working with. the secretary's purpose in the trip is to accent wait where there's been minimal cooperations existing, and to push the pakistanis to do more than they have been doing before. thank you both so much for your help. hillary clinton, of course, was in islamabad after her trip to afghanistan. and this is part of her warning about the danger of the haqqani network to the pakistanis as well as to afghanistan. >> you can't keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbors. eventually those snakes will turn on whoever has them in the

backyard. >> she was talking tough today and yesterday. >> and what's interesting about that, andrea, yesterday she was in afghanistan on the grounds of the presidential palace and had that press conference with president karzai. you talk to afghans after hillary clinton had come here with a new tough message about the pakistanis about the safe havens within the borders of this country with the haqqani network, and they said we heard this before. will she talk this tough tomorrow when she is in islamabad? she appeared at press conference, you just played the byte w her counterpart, the pakistani foreign minister, she was tough. she answered a lot of questions from the press, some of them pointed. the main complaint here for many pakistanis s hey, why don't you do something about the haqqanis on the afghan side of the border? to which the secretary's response is we need to squeeze them. we are undergoing mill -- undertaking military operations on the afghan side of the border

there north waziristan, across the boarder from waziristan and some of these regions we hear so much back on the pakistani said, these so-called safe havens, she is asking for help, she called the attack on the embassy on the 13th a turning point, andrea. >> thank you very much, mike. a fascinating trip with secretary clinton. thank you very much. we'll have more on president obama's big announcement just a short time ago that all american troops will be removed from iraq by the end of the year. plus family matters for a rising republican star. that story ahead next on "andrea mitchell reports." time for the "your business" small business advice. here are tips to optimize your small business video content. choose the right place to host your content. third party sites like youtube will maximize total views. keep it less than three minutes. and attach a text transcript to your video. it lets search engines get a

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coming up next, holly petraeus on protecting the wallets of returning service members. electric bill was breaking the bank.

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that at the end of the year, by the end of the year, as promised, as he put it, all american troops will be out of iraq. rachel maddow joins me now by phone. rachel, you spent so much time there and talked to the troops, have seen the suffering on all sides. how important is this -- this announcement by the president? >> andrea, having been in baghdad last summer to see the last combat troops leave, when we were there covering that drat i moment, this is obviously a more final moment. for me, unexpected think an emotional moment. looking back at 2002, before the iraq war started, his famous speech in chicago where he spoke to an anti-iraq war rally, only

a small part of that tape exists, where he says i'm not against all wars, i'm against dumb wars, i'm paraphrasing, his campaign, his supporters during the time he was running for president retaped that speech where he says that beginning part and individual supporters say all the rest of the words in that speech because it was such an emotionally resonate central part of it. now saying nine years later, we are finally ending it. for me, it brings back a lot of the emotion from that start of the war and from the campaign about it. i was feeling that as well. and i have not spent nearly as much time there as our colleague, of course, richard engel, and was asking him about it. when you think about what's happened in the last 48 hours with the end of the gadhafi era, and now this announcement, even

though we could have anticipated this given iraq's parliament refusal, it does have a powerful, emotional wallop for those of white house covered the beginning of the war. >> it does. i think about the tiny, tiny proportion of americans who have born the brunt of the foreign policy decisions over the last decade. it's 2 million americans total whole have served in america's wars since 9/11, and in a country of 300 million people, we've had a civilian life for the last ten years that could not be more different than the lives of those military families. the president got it at the end of his remarks when he talked about whether america's approach towards war is changing now, talking about the libya conflict ending, the afghanistan conflict being drawn down, the iraq conflict definitively ending.

it is time for a national discussion, i think, about when and how we use force and how much of the time america should be at war versus at peace. we have not been at peace in a very, very, very long time. you don't just need to be at peace so that you can build your military back up for the next war. you need to be at peace sometimes so you can focus on something other than projecting force abroad. the president started hinting at that at the end of his remarks today. it made me realize i would love to see a big presidential speech about america's role in the world. i would love to hear the obama doctrine, the idea of the post iraq war american doctrine of force and i would love to have a political debate, a politicalingment and a mrpolitig ment political argument and a political discussion about it we

stiit. >> when we think about syria, there was no arab league support for going up against assad, there was arab league support going up against gadhafi, and some 100 trainers are going into uganda, senators are asking why uganda and not darfur. that's still to be discussed. we look forward, rachel, to your take on all of this tonight on "the rachel maddow show" tonight at 9:00. thank you very much. >> thank you, andrea. with us here shghere, dee ds and kevin madden, a supporter of mitt romney. first to you, kevin, reaction to the president's announcement. >> i think it's hard to judge definitively the politics of

this and how it will play out. that's something that is probably -- we'll probably learn more about that as the weeks and months go on. oftentimes i think in campaigns, particularly, national security politics is driven by events. this is an event that the american people will use as they enter into equations on how they judge the president on leadeleader leadeleader leadership. i don't know if it's enough to alter the perceptions of the president. it may help with his leadership attributes. we'll have to watch and see how that plays out over the next few weeks. we're likely to see a campaign and the politics over the next year still driven in large part by economic considerations. but, you know, again, national security, if some of the events that are altered because of the decisions made today, you know, it could be different in a couple of months. >> things change so rapidly as

we've seen in the last few days, there is that 3:00 a.m. phone call threshold question, which was one of the questions in the early south carolina debate in the last political cycle that hillary clinton really stepped up to that. at least showed she could meet that test. there were other political problems along the way. but that was a threshold she, as a woman candidate, had to meet. >> right. i think she projected strength. people who voted on the basis of national security concerns alone, a lot of them voted for hillary clinton, and it wasn't necessarily enough. so far this is an election cycle built on domestic policy concerns, but there will be intermittent foreign policy questions, event-driven. you never know what will happen that will inject foreign policy into the campaign. that's all to barack obama's advantage. >> but there's also a question about the way republicans responded. mitt romney, some say, was

grudging in his, oh, yes, he deserved some credit for gadhafi. high were the republicans so reluctant to say, you know, job well done, mr. president? >> i think it came as welcomed news. i think that there's -- there are some differences of opinion about where the total credit lies. that's something that -- i think rachel -- >> but you go out of your way and credit france and great britain -- i'm not talking about mitt romney specifically, but linds lindsay graham, john mccain, those running for office and to the running for office, saying it was the europeans -- >> i think some folks believe the success achieved was much more complex than being credited to one person. i think rachel maddow made a good point, i know it's odd for republicans to say that, but i think there will be a robust debate about world views between the republicans and democrats. as much as we've seen success here, there will still be a

debate about america's role in the world. i think republicans and democrats, the may you may see dichs of opini difference of opinions and reactions, is that they see a difference of view about our role in it. >> the president made a controversial decision to do it collectively to do it through nato, not necessarily have the americans lead. and people who didn't like that decision are having trouble giving him credit for the ultimate success. >> let me quickly ask but marco rubio. story in the "washington post," he's now responded saying it was 50 years ago, it was oral history from his parents. how much of a problem is this for him to be consider ed as a cirrus consideration for vice president by any nominee. he was florida, hispanic, cuban-american, bright, tea party support does this take him out of contention because of the alleged resume enhancement where

his family really were not as, he has claimed, exiled by the castro regime but left during batista's reign before fidel castro came into power? >> the first part of this is it's ptoo early to be giving ths much thought. he's a very important part of -- a very important rising star within the republican party. and some of the details or the muddled details of his past, you know, i think he said he's been clear about the -- about his parents reasons for coming to the united states. it's an important aspirational story. i don't think it will effect him at all. i say that as the son of immigrants who always gets it wrong according to my parents.

>> my immigrant grandparents are still trying to get the stories straight in the family. great to see you. up next, the white house deputy national security adviser, dennis mcdonough joining us, plus the woman fighting for military families, holly petraeus right here. drug plan. ♪ with the lowest national plan premium... ♪ ...and copays as low as one dollar... ♪ ...saving on medicare prescriptions is easy. ♪ so you're free to focus on the things that really matter. call humana at 1-800-808-4003. or go to walmart.com for details. [ inner voice ] establish connection. give me voice control. applications up. check my email and text messages. hands in position. airbags. ten of 'em. perfect. add blind spot monitor.

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earlier this hour, president obama announced that the full withdrawal of all american personnel from iraq will be complete by this year. i'm joined by dennis mcdonough. one being reason for this, not leaving any residual trainers s there could not be an agreement about legal protection for american troops is that essentially what maliki told the president today? >> thank you, andrea, for letting me be here. i would say, we made this assessment based on one

interest, namly we want to make sure we have the kind of security relationship going forward that allows for a stable, self-reliant and secure iraq. that's what the president called for in february of 2009. that's what we have today. the agreement we have now going forward, getting our troops out of there and reestablishing a normal relationship with the iraqis allows to us do what we want to do in the heart of this very unstable region. so, it's not a question of what exactly we did or did not get from the iraqis. this is a question of what the president and the prime minister determined was in both our countries best interests moving forward. we think the agreement we have here is exactly that. >> are they ready to defend themselves internally and externally? >> as i indicated in briefing earlier today, we have been looking hard at this. first, we're appreciative of and proud of the unbelievably good work our troops have done over the course of the last several years of training up the iraqi

security forces. they trained them. partnered with them, now we believe it's time for them to take on these missions. that's one. two is that every assessment we looked at in the course of this effort underscores to us that they have the capacity to take on the threats they face most prominently and presently and pressingly, frankly. lastly, we do have in this agreement the ability to maintain a very normalized but yet robust training relationship going forward. so we'll be able to address with them the kind of concerns they still have. the bottom line is we feel good about it. >> denis, i wanted to ask about tack stan. you have hillary clinton there today warning the pakistanis about the snakes in their backyard. she's talking about the has canny network. now we know that the administration met with the haqqanis secretly last summer and that the aftermath of that was not reconciliation, they didn't put down their arms to the contrary, they had a 20-hour firefight against our embassy compound and nato head quaurqua.

what do we do going forward with pakistan? >> the president appreciates the high-level delegation that the secretary led to islamabad. it underscores the seriousness with which we take this relationship with pakistan and the seriousness with which we take the issues of concern, principally ongoing violence in pakistan and afghanistan. as it relates to the questions about who we are willing to talk to and not talk to, the secretary has been clear since she talked about the diplomatic surge, we will try to reach out to those who want to see a political solution to this effort. that doesn't mean, though, we won't continue our effort to protect our security, protect our troops, ultimately bring the kind of pressure to bear on the taliban that will give the afghans the time and sfpace to

build their own -- >> what about the haqqanis getting support from elements within their own government? >> we've been very clear over the past several weeks as to what we would expect from any party who would like to get involved in talks, live up to the afghan constitution, renounce terrorism, break all ties with al qaeda. until anybody does that, we will continue to take the fight to them. we will take the fight to whoever we need to to protect our guys and give the afghans the time and space they need to take these guys on. >> dennis mcdonough, thank you very much. >> coming up next, holly petraeus. but i am a voter. so washington... before you even think about cutting my medicare and social security benefits... here's a number you should remember.

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the last of the u.s. troops will be out of iraq by the end of the year and more and more troops are coming home. they are facing conartists and now a new arm of the consumer protection bureau has been tasked specifically with protecting the country's military by being victimized by businesses looking to make an easy buck. who better to head it off than holly petraeus, military wife and daughter who served as the director of the better business bureau in the military. who are the biggest conartists. what are the troops facing? credit card scams or mortgage problems or student loans? what do you look at first? >> there is a variety of things. loans are always an issue especially with the internet. there is a lot of ways to get in trouble and borrow money with expensive terms and some are out right scams. some say to send a fee because your credit is not good.

obviously a problem. there legal ways to go after the scam artists that your agency is pursuing in coordination with the justice department and u.s. attorneys around the country or is part of this better education for the returning troops? >> it's both. the consumer financial protection bureau will have enforcement authority and 18 consumer laws that will be enforcing. you need to educate. you can't play whack a mole and beat down with the scam. you need to educate and that's part of my job. >> the mortgage situation. we have an industry that is notorious for going after people who are at least able. men and women who have been overseas or families who are here and don't have the support they need. they are very vulnerable. >> they are and have an extra set of problems. if they are under water and get orders to move, military orders,

what do they do? >> what is the answer? >> there not a lot of easy answers. we are talking to other agencies to see if they can be made easier for them to qualify for a hardship when they get occurred orders to move even if they are not in default. >> you are doing the work and this is what elizabeth warren headed. you are doing all of this at the same time. i have to ask your feelings. the american troops are coming home at the end of the year. this is a war that a lot of people credit your husband with winning. >> he spent four years over there and i think he would be the first to say how proud he is of the magnificent job our service members did over there and how proud he is of them. like me, he wants to see them get the best treatment when they get back to the u.s. >> i'm sure being a military spouse is say really big challenge for all of the young

men and women and grandparents and others going through the job on the home front. thank you for your service. >> thank you. i am very proud of the military families. they have shown strength and resilience and my office is there for them as well. >> we are proud of you and of everything your husband has done. thank you. >> thank you. >> that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." follow the show online and on twitter@mitchell reports. >> have a great weekend. we are following the latest reaction to president obama's major announcement that all american troops will be out of iraq by the end of the year. i will be joined by nbc's richard engle and barry mcaffrey and richard smith. senator bob casey will join us. "news nation" is minutes away. cd to the bargain detergent, but i found myself using three times more than you're supposed to

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following major breaking news at this hour. president obama announced complete troop withdrawal from iran. >> here at home the coming months will be a season of homecomings. across america our service men and women will be reunited with their families. today i can say our troops in iraq will definitely be be home for the holidays. >> the president went on to say all american troops will be pulled out by the end of the year. the decision comes after the president spoke with iraqi prime minister earlier today. both leaders agreeing it was the best course of action for both countries. joining me now, nbc news military analyst barry affrey and correspondent richard engle. what is your immediate reaction? >> positive. i thought the president's address was